Slide closure



E. KUGLER Sept. 5, 1967 SLIDE CLOSURE Filed June 14, 1966 United States Patent 3,339,606 SLIDE CLOSURE Emanuel Kugler, 124 Richmond Place, Lawrence, N.Y. 11559 Filed June 14, 1966, Ser. No. 477,701 3 Claims. (Cl. 150-3) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A flexible package formed of flexible sheet material having a releasable closure comprising a tongue on one member and a groove on the other member where the tongue is of a thickness less than the width of the groove and wherein releasable pressure sensitive adhesive is provided to keep the tongue within the groove.

This invention is concerned with the flexible packaging art; more specifically it describes an improved closure device for bags; and especially sets forth an improved type of tongue and groove closure for bags.

Flexible packages such as of thermoplastic material have come into great use in recent times. There are, however, certain difliculties encountered in the use thereof. For example, it is difiicult to provide a device which will permit the bag to be rescaled in a relatively tight manner after the bag has first been opened. The ordinary locking closures are either capable of use only once, or do not provide the required tight locking.

In theprior art there have been attempts to utilize forms of tongue and groove assemblies with and without slides to permit the continuous opening and reclosing of bags. Such devices, although convenient for use, have the further disadvantage of being diflicult and expensive to manufacture. Thus, in that the effectiveness of the closure is greatly dependent upon the dimensional fit between the tongue and the groove, great care must be exercised in forming the bags. The necessary controls on dimensions vastly increase the cost of such closures and prevent their manufacture by normal mass-production techniques. Additionally, the cost of the finished parts is extremely high in view of the required care to insure tolerances.

It is a cardinal object of this invention, therefore, to provide an improved reusable lock closure for flexible bags.

Another primary object hereof is the provision of a tongue and groove assembly to serve as a locking closure which will be relatively economical and that can be easily mass-produced.

A still further function and object of this invention is the provision of an improved operation tongue and groove closure which can be utilized in a great variety of applications.

Essentially, the above objects and others are accomplished by the combination of a tongue and groove assembly at the opening of a flexible package. The tongue is fabricated to fit easily within the groove, thus eliminating necessity for extreme tolerances. In order to insure that the tongue is not spontaneously or inadvertently removed from the groove, either the tongue and/ or the groove is provided with adhesive means whereby they may be separated only upon the application of a positive force.

The invention, however, will be described in greater detail hereinafter by reference to the detailed specification and the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view with portions broken away of one embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 but showing the closure means in its locked position.

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevational view taken substantially along line 33 of FIG. 2.

' the groove FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale showing the lockin closure in its open position.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown at 10 a fiexible bag or any like package. It is to 'be emphasized, however, that this invention may be utilized in conjunction with almost any product. Flexible bags are shown and described herein merely for ease of explanation.

The bag 10 will normally be closed to receive a product in the interior space 11 therewithin except for an open mouth portion 12. The open mouth portion 12 must, however, be capable of being opened and subsequently rescaled as desired. This invention is concerned with the means for accomplishing the same.

As will be noted in this preferred embodiment, and as seen most clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4, the side walls 14 and 15 of the bag 10 are thickened as at and 15a in the area of the opening 12 of the bag 10.

In this embodiment a tongue 20 is integrally formed in one of the thickened sections 15a and a groove 21 is integrally formed in the other thickened portion 14a.

It will be understood, however, that this is merely for examplary purposes. The tongue 20 and groove 21 could equally well be formed as by being molded in separate strips which could then be sealed or otherwise aflixed in a separate operation to the opposite side walls of the bag 14 and 15.

As was mentioned hereinabove, it is normal for the tongue 20 to be formed within certain exact tolerances so as to fit within the groove 21. However, an improved feature of this invention is the provision of a tongue 20 which is of substantially smaller height h than the height H of 21. The substantial difference between it and H permits the fabrication of parts without the necessity of keeping within close tolerances.

It is necessary however, to provide separate means to retain the tongue 20 within the groove 21. This is accomplished herein by the provision of one or more layers of adhesive substances. For example, a layer of adhesive may be applied against the face of the groove 21 and/ or a layer of adhesive may be applied to the face of the tongue 20. Thus, when the tongue 20 is inserted within the groove 21, the adhesive on one or both of the components will insure that the tongue 20 does not inadvertently or spontaneously come out of the groove 21.

Of course, a great variety of materials could be selected to act as the adhesive force between the tongue 20 and the groove 21. For example, materials could be selected which will react to form the strong bond only when the said tongue 20 is inserted within the groove 21. For example, the material on the tongue 20* could be such as to be inactive until it comes into contact with the substance within the groove 21.

'Of course in the embodiment illustrated, the closure extends across the width of the bag 10. It could, however, extend only partially across, or consist of short sections spaced at intervals thereacross. Additionally, it could be comprised of relatively short knob and aperture assemblies, with each knob held within the aperture by an adhesive substance such as described.

While there are above disclosed but a limited number of embodiments of the product of this invention, it is to be noted that additional embodiments are contemplated and it is, therefore, desired that such limitations be applied to the claims hereafter as are necessary or as required by the prior art.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A flexible package having a first wall and a second wall in superposed relationship which are joined together at their respective side edges and bottom edge to form the container, said upper edges of said first and second walls defining an opening, the upper edges of said walls being moveable between a closed, touching position in which said container is closed and an open, separated position in which said container is open, said first and second walls having releasable securing means for releasably holding them in said closed position comprising a transversely extending tongue on said first wall, a transversely extending groove in said second wall, the thickness of said tongue being less than the width of said groove, said tongue and said groove being oriented such that when the upper edges of said first and second walls are brought together into said closed position said tongue is received within said groove, and a layer of pressure sensitive releasable adhesive in the bottom of said groove for releasably and adhesively securing said tongue within said groove to releasably close said container.

2. A flexible package having a first wall and a second wall in superposed relationship which are joined together at their respective side edges and bottom edge to form the container, said upper edges of said first and second walls defining an opening, the upper edges of said walls being moveable between a closed, touching position in which said container is closed and an open, separated position in which said container is open, said first and second walls having releasable securing means for releasably holding them in said closed position comprising a transversely extending tongue on said first wall, a transversely extending groove in said second wall, the thickness of said tongue being less than the width of said groove, tongue and said groove being oriented such that when the upper edges of said first and second walls are brought together into said closed position said tongue is received within said groove, and a layer of pressure sensitive releasable adhesive on one of said tongue and the bottom said of said groove for releasably and adhesively securing said tongue within said groove to releasably close said container.

3. A flexible package having a first flexible sheet member and a second flexible sheet member in superposed relationship and moveable between a closed, touching position in which said package is closed and an open, separated position in which said package is open, and releasable closure means on said first and second sheet members for releasably holding them in said closed position comprising a transversely extending tongue on one of said members, a transversely extending groove in'said other member, the thickness of said tongue being less than the width of said groove, said tongue and said groove being positioned on said members such that when said members are brought together into the closed position the tongue is received within said groove, and a pressure sensitive releasable adhesive layer on one of the tongue and the bottom of the groove for releasably and adhesively securing said tongue within said groove.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,008,420 7/1935 Howard 22-962 XR 2,107,216 2/1938 Rogers 3 2,746,502 5/1956 Graell 150 3 2,825,497 3/ 1958 Hitt 229-62 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,140,723 3/ 1957 France.

874,683 8/1961 Great Britain.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FLEXIBLE PACKAGE HAVING A FIRST WALL AND A SECOND WALL IN SUPERPOSED RELATIONSHIP WHICH ARE JOINED TOGETHER AT THEIR RESPECTIVE SIDE EDGES AND BOTTOM EDGE TO FORM THE CONTAINER, SAID UPPER EDGES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND WALLS DEFINING AN OPENING, THE UPPER EDGES OF SAID WALLS BEING MOVEABLE BETWEEN A CLOSED, TOUCHING POSITION IN WHICH SAID CONTAINER IS CLOSED AND AN OPEN, SEPARATED POSITION IN WHICH SAID CONTAINER IS OPEN, SAID FIRST AND SECOND WALLS HAVING RELEASABLE SECURING MEANS FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING THEM IN SAID CLOSED POSITION COMPRISING A TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING TONGUE ON SAID FIRST WALL, A TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING GROOVE IN SAID SECOND WALL, THE THICKNESS OF SAID TONGUE BEING LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF SAID GROOVE, SAID TONGUE AND SAID GROOVE BEING ORIENTED SUCH THAT WHEN THE UPPER EDGES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND WALLS ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER INTO SAID CLOSED POSITION SAID TONGUE IS RECEIVED WITHIN SAID GROOVE, AND A LAYER OF PRESSURE SENSITIVE RELEASABLE ADHESIVE IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID GROOVE FOR RELEASABLY AND ADHESIVELY SECURING SAID TONGUE WITHIN SAID GROOVE TO RELEASABLY CLOSE SAID CONTAINER. 